Anybody grow up with this guy instead of Chuck E. Cheese?
Posted by Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 184 comments
Posted by Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 184 comments
redditprofile99@reddit
Nope. Was it the same setup as CEC? Video games and really bad frozen pizza?
jessek@reddit
Basically a Midwest company tried licensing Chuck E Cheese from Nolan Bushnell but the negotiations dragged out and they decided "fuck it, you can't copyright having animatrons perform while people eat pizza" and made Showbiz Pizza, which was hugely successful in the Midwest and western states, to the point that they eventually acquired Chuck E. Cheese and took the brand as their own.
redditprofile99@reddit
It's kind of interesting that Show Biz grew large enough to buy out Chuck E Cheese's, but the brand equity if Chuck E Cheese's was valuable enough to change the name.
MechaNickzilla@reddit
Showbiz made its way to the East coast (South Carolina) in the mid-80s. That was the first place I saw Dragon’s Lair and it was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen.
Quandary37@reddit
I had my birthday in one near N. Augusta SC in 91 really was a fun birthday for the time and the games were awesome. And TMNT 2 The Secret of the Ooze after wasn't terrible, not as good as the first one but not awful.
MechaNickzilla@reddit
That sounds like a great birthday my brother from another South Carolina mother.
Quandary37@reddit
It was awesome or should I say RADICAL!!! but it was just one year I lived in SC we were there for a job with my Dad then unfortunately moved back to LA, my brother did stay in SC for college at USC @ Akin he's now living in the suburbs outside Charlotte.
Love and miss The Carolinas, so pretty from the mountains to the beaches. Just a beautiful part of the country/world, the UK royal family keeps their horses near Akin (I think) because the training season is so much longer than anywhere in the UK, at least that's my understanding. But either way the weather is wonderful there, from what I remember. Of course it's in the south so it still has some hot humid days every year and hurricanes often.
MechaNickzilla@reddit
I spent my childhood in Greenville and will say it was 1) a nice, safe suburban community to grow up in and 2) an easy drive to very diverse vacation spots. Atlanta, Asheville, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston and Savannah (where I went to school) all within 3ish hours was kind of amazing.
I’m in St Louis now and I love it here but I miss being able to take easy weekend trips to mountains, beaches, and a variety of cities.
Quandary37@reddit
Absolutely totally agree We lived right on the state line basically, N. Augusta SC so it wasn't a big deal to go to Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, even Charlotte. We didn't travel a whole lot just because it was the school year and I was in second grade but we did a few weekend trips to the beach some historical sites, the mountains, and Atlanta. Louisiana is really great for Hunting, fishing, and outdoor stuff, the festivals are crazy there's one of the smaller festivals almost every weekend and the bigger one's at least one a month if not more Jazzfest, strawberry festival, crawfish festival, watermelon festival, gatorfest, sugarcane festival, jambalaya festival and then there's all the cookoffs constantly Gumbo, crawfish, shrimp, jambalaya, seafood, BBQ, gator, almost every weekend there's at least one somewhere it maybe small with just a few hundred people and a $1500 grand prize or it might be one of the bigger ones with thousands of people and a $25,000+ grand prize. Mardi Gras is a major event that pulls several hundred thousand people, the wildlife exhibits like the Audubon Aquarium, Zoo, and Insectarium are great, best thing is the WWII Museum it's absolutely awesome and the casino if you're into that, some other tourist type stuff, but the other cities have very little to offer thats permanent.
Louisiana has outdoors activities, history, and great food. Louisiana loves to eat, and party. There's not much to do in the cities, New Orleans has a few things like I said, concerts and events are the best you'll find after doing the tourist things.
Oh and LSU and Southern University Sports, Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Softball, in fact the festivals are scheduled around LSU Football games you won't see anything going on during a home game and very little on away game days, turnout would be greatly affected 110,000 people in the stadium plus 2,500 working the stadium and another 50,000 outside the stadium watching on TVs and at least 2,500 working outside so you lose A quarter mill on campus and another 100,000 watching at home, those will definitely not attend anything. Most you'll get is them at a sports bar.
Sorry I just started rambling there, basically I miss SC and Huston TX was another place I lived that I loved and miss a lot.
ApatheistHeretic@reddit
Please don't insult frozen pizza that way...
But, yes.
redditprofile99@reddit
Hey I've had some decent frozen pizza. That frozen pizza was not decent frozen pizza.
Harlockarcadia@reddit
If you're interested, John Oliver does a deep dive on the history of the two, it's pretty funny: https://youtu.be/3v6y2pY1pZ0?si=n94pR4Xp7fVKE_Ip
therealskittlepoop@reddit
That was really interesting, thanks!
Harlockarcadia@reddit
No problem!
phazedoubt@reddit
I only ever knew Show Biz before the one closest to us change names. I was so upset that Show Biz became Chuck E. Cheese, but then they didn't change the pizza so i was ok. That pizza is really good.
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
Yes! The companies actually merged at some point in the 80s
Ronthelodger@reddit
Showbiz for the win. Very memorable!
ralph_deadbeet@reddit
Hell yes I did.
sotimting@reddit
You all really, really need to watch the Rockafire Explosion documentary:
https://youtu.be/gTmhS6hcY-A?si=PNLs3uWOAbEBH0Hg
Aeronor@reddit
Where a kid can be a kid
98nissansentra@reddit
Do you remember when they were bought out by Chuck-e-cheese and they kept the Showbiz jingle but changed the words? "Chuuuuck-eee-cheses! Where a kid can be a kid!"
Aeronor@reddit
Yep! Marketing at its finest
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
Hell yeah
NickLoner@reddit
We had a place called Huckleberry Junction when I was a kid, which was basically the same thing with the animatronic animals. I think it's still there, I loved their pizza.
p90rushb@reddit
Michigander? Isn't there only one of these?
weezmatical@reddit
Lol, my family went to it like a month ago. We usually take all the nieces and nephews once a year when everyone is in town. They are too old now, but my mom insists it's a tradition and makes us all go.
NickLoner@reddit
Is the pizza still good at least?
NickLoner@reddit
Yeah, it's the only one.
roadrunner00@reddit
No I was thinking omg y'all are in NC until you posted. Evidently we aren't special ☹️.
Anonymous_person13@reddit
omg memory unlocked
LyleLanley99@reddit
Mr_A_Rye@reddit
Jesus, did a priest give you that shirt?
chargoggagog@reddit
Finally, thought I was the only one who saw it.
Cuts4th@reddit
Rich Evans is a god damn national treasure!
jasonmoyer@reddit
Rich is a national treasure.
valleysally@reddit
A contagious laugh
fermentedradical@reddit
Rich Evans is a Golden God.
fermentedradical@reddit
deowolf@reddit
Replying to LyleLanley99...
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
Terrifying. Poor little Dick.
Bloedvlek@reddit
Dick ended up on Ellen DeGeneres
So-Called_Lunatic@reddit
Well that's a 1st for her I'm sure.
slaptastic-soot@reddit
🥇
6thBornSOB@reddit
This is actually Ron DeSantis’ 16th B-day party.
Calm-Tree-1369@reddit
It broke new groooooooound.
Bald_Nightmare@reddit
😆
Cuts4th@reddit
I have fond memories of watching these robots perform and Billy Bob was my favorite. The human in a sure version even came to my school once. As a kid I was really disappointed when they got rid of him and then it was all about Chuck E. Cheese…
KalaKitty@reddit
And I still have nightmares
NessieGeeee@reddit
The podcast Decoder Ring just did a great show on the animatronics at Showbiz & Chuck E. Cheeze!
therealpopkiller@reddit
I loved Showbiz. If you ever want to watch an incredible documentary, find one called The Rockafire Explosion. It’s all about Showbiz Pizza but more so childhood nostalgia
SendInYourSkeleton@reddit
Be sure to check out the Rockafire Explosion documentary!
r007r@reddit
Where a kid can be a kid?
VincentMac1984@reddit
They had Pistol Pete’s pizza in AZ and they were they’re. Different franchises but same characters
rjcpl@reddit
Having pizza with him was what stood between me and the Star Wars sit in cockpit arcade and Discs of Tron.
LordLaz1985@reddit
YES. I have a pic from my 4th birthday with Billy Bob.
ststephenscat@reddit
If you haven't, you should listen to the pizza wars podcast episode from decoder ring
chimchimchow@reddit
In Tulsa we had Showbiz first, which became Chuck E Cheese, definitely had a birthday with Billy Bob
Own-Chip-522@reddit
Razzmatazz
UraniumRocker@reddit
We had Pistol Pete’s Pizza. I remember them having a similar bear mascot.
windmillninja@reddit
We had Showbiz in the early 90’s where I grew up in Chattanooga. I never went back after it rebranded as Chuck E Cheese until well into my 20’s when I went to a niece’s birthday party around 2007. IIRC they had removed the animatronics and instead had a big screen playing cartoons.
cbih@reddit
Major Magic!!
AnonPlz123@reddit
Where a kid can be a kid.
Spiritual-Ad-271@reddit
I still wear a T-shirt from this place. I used to love the cheerleader rat or mouse or whatever she was.
NoClipHeavy@reddit
My old Chuck E Cheese was a Showbiz before that so we had the Showbiz animatronics
_1JackMove@reddit
Showbiz crew ftw. I never liked Chuck E Cheese nearly as much. By the time they changed it to that in my area the golden vibe of 80s Showbiz pizza was long gone. It was glorious while it lasted.
Fngrbngr79@reddit
Our Chuck E. Cheese was the original as a kid. Then it changed to showbiz and then back to Chuck E. Cheese. It was odd but only the name changed on the building back and forth, nothing else.
OneLifeThatsIt@reddit
I remember being so upset when Showbiz changed to the mouse.
TryAnotherNamePlease@reddit
So when it started it was Chuck E Cheese pizza time theater. That was only in California originally. A Franchisee wanted to open them in the middle of the country, so Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana got Showbiz pizza.
Chuck E. Cheese Filed for bankruptcy in the 80s and Showbiz bought them. The Chuck E Cheese character was more popular than the animatronics at Showbiz, so Showbiz started using the Chuck E. Cheese name.
We only had showbiz here and when I was like in fifth grade it changed to Chuck E. Cheese. The parent company was still Showbiz until 98 and they changed their name to cec.
ThePrincessOfMonaco@reddit
I love this. So - I remember Chuck E Cheese had the scary animatronics band. Was that Showbiz?
TryAnotherNamePlease@reddit
They both had animatronics, just different characters.
Malcolm_Y@reddit
Showbiz Pizza was also in Kansas City Missouri for sure.
FreshlyStarting79@reddit
I'm 45, so I get how lame this is: your narrative follows the Five Nights At Freddy's timeline.
TryAnotherNamePlease@reddit
I’m 44. I miss how seedy they were lol. Mine had no windows. Felt like an 80s arcade. The new ones are all windows.
flyinhawaiian02@reddit
The same thing happened to my Chuck E. Cheese
roadrunner00@reddit
Same here in NC. The animatronic show was the same until it closed in the past decade.
Tivland@reddit
so scary
fromthedarqwaves@reddit
How did we survive this nightmarish hellscape?
neuroxin@reddit
Yep I had my birthday there in Macon, Ga. It turned into a Chuck E Cheese briefly before it became an Olive Garden and for some reason I kept having my birthday there.
goater10@reddit
We had billy bobs in Australia for a bit
kinopiokun@reddit
Mee!
BpositiveItWorks@reddit
No, but LOL 🤣
valpal1237@reddit
I did! Oddly enough, the Show Biz that existed while I was growing up was turned in to a Texas Roadhouse in the late 90's - which is where I'm a line cook now...my station is right around where the ball pit used to be. 🤣
Shatterstar23@reddit
Yup
Nice-Ad6510@reddit
I had both!
TurangaLeela78@reddit
Oh heck yes!
needsmorequeso@reddit
I thought it was called “Show Bears Pizza,” because there were bears and they put on a show.
Ok_Contribution_6268@reddit
There were only two: Beach Bear and Billy Bob. The rest were a dog (Dook Larue) gorilla (Fatz Gorilla), a wolf/puppet comedian (Rolfe De Wolfe) and a very tipsy bird inside an oil can (Looney Bird)
Crusader1865@reddit
Chuck E. Cheese is the David Lee Roth of Showbiz. He broke up the band. Billy Bob was the true talent of that place.
Matthias_Doe@reddit
Chuck E. Cheese was the comedian opening act for the band. He was a sidekick. The Rock-a-Fire Explosion was THE attraction.
Ok_Contribution_6268@reddit
Don't forget ~~Foxy~~ Rolfe Wolfe
Sp0rk-R2@reddit
I remember liking Showbiz more than Chuck E Cheese when I was young. I didn’t like when it changed over. Many years later I ended up working there. Fun times. Best time was when the animatronics broke on the cheerleader and air sprayed out, blowing her skirt up and revealing her mechanical parts. The look on the children’s faces when this happened was hilarious.
Ok_Contribution_6268@reddit
Mitzi Mozzarella aka the original Simp magnet before Roxanne Wolf of FNAF.
Writefrommyheart@reddit
And I gotta take all they bad asses to ShowBiz?
Ok_Contribution_6268@reddit
To be honest, as a 4 year-old at the time, I couldn't tell a Pizza Time Theatre from a Showbiz. They just seemed the same to little ol'e me.
That being said, The Rock-Afire Explosion is perhaps the most amazing thing ever. I was one of the oddballs who thought of it as amazing while everyone else got creeped out.
Treadingresin@reddit
We had both Showbiz and Chuck E. Cheese. We went to whichever one had a coupon in the paper.
Baxtir@reddit
Same! I remember the animatronics of both scaring me back then.
WafflesTheMoose@reddit
I had one not far from me!
threefeetofun@reddit
In Buffalo we had Major Magics which was the same thing.
dagenhamerica@reddit
I remember the TV jingle “showbiz pizza, where a kid can be a kid”…also remember using wooden tokens or something.
Due_Addition_587@reddit
Me!! I think he is supposedly trashier but I think he’s way better
grapsSs@reddit
Indeed! Way better!
ReagleRamen@reddit
Had a birthday party there once and it was epic
Joris_McNorris@reddit
Yes, Showbiz Pizza > Chuck E Cheese. We went to the one in Johnson City TN in the 80s. It was a rare occasion that our parents would actually take us, but boy when they did we thought we were royalty!
Quandary37@reddit
Had my birthday at one in N. Augusta SC in 1991 then went to see TMNT 2 secret of the ooze with my big brother, was really disappointed, it was nowhere near as good as the first one.
SpoofedFinger@reddit
Where's the rest of the band?
TeutonJon78@reddit
Not sure I had a Mr. Cheese around me growing up, but did have a Showbiz. Always so jealous of the kids who got to host the birthday parties there.
Showbiz always felt "higher class" though.
idkidc28@reddit
Ours started as Showbiz then changed to Chuck E Cheese, but we still had the Showbiz band and no mouse/rat. Pretty sure the only thing that changed was the name outside.
Ordinary_Aioli_7602@reddit
Yes indeedy
Level_Job_8117@reddit
Absolutely! Loved going there!
fusionaddict@reddit
We didn’t get a Chuck E’s til I was already an adult. I had two birthday parties at Showbiz.
Showbiz was way better. Fight me.
cliqclaqstepback@reddit
I remember him. I grew up in $Texas and it was Showbiz Pizza with this big bear before they all became Chuck E. Cheese’s.
shootermac32@reddit
My mom worked at Showbiz in the 80’s
bEErgrEMlin12@reddit
Yup!
chapelhillblue@reddit
Everybody in NC!
Aquatichive@reddit
I hated going to parties there, I was anxious and scared the whole time
wordnerd1023@reddit
I found a Showbiz token a few years ago when I was cleaning out my mom's house. So many birthday parties there. I remember convincing my little sister to have her birthday there one year when I was "too old."
Cutthechitchata-hole@reddit
Chucky cheese bought out showbiz and did away with them everywhere. I think they are bringing it back though
appyah@reddit
Oh yeah... Where a kid can be a kid!
robbeau11@reddit
I remember the seat you sat in and it would go in circles…
PezCandyAndy@reddit
I had a birthday party at Showbiz when I was in the 4th grade. When I was little, I hated people in masks, so clowns and I even didn't like Santa Claus. I was a little creeped out even as I got older, but the idea of playing a ton of games made up for it. Chuck E Cheese is a watered down version.
TheSaltyJM@reddit
I did, and I found him absolutely terrifying.
honkyhey@reddit
Yeah and I’m still seeing a therapist.
Dependent_Bill8632@reddit
Hell yes! We only have Showbiz in my hometown (Jackson, MI) growing up, and he came to my block party and was posted up in front of my house! My 6-year old mind was BLOWN!
AwkwardFactor84@reddit
Yep.... I still have some showtime pizza tokens. It's funny how no one thought billybob looked ominous back in the 80's
TwinCitian@reddit
Did anyone else grow up with Circus Pizza, which was really similar to Showbiz Pizza but not exactly the same? We had one in the suburbs of Minneapolis when I was a kid
Available_Forever_32@reddit
100%!
Vladd_the_Retailer@reddit
Hell yeah! Rock a Fire Explosion 💥
GogusWho@reddit
Mine started out The Time Machine and then switched to Showbiz. It was a good place to meet up, get weed, and find the party. I lived half a block away, so it was very convenient. Also had friends that worked there, so they would come over to visit on their breaks.
MetaVulture@reddit
Showbiz in Little Rock was my birthday spot. Then came the rat.
Drewbeede@reddit
[Bullwinkles Restaurant.]https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fr__%2Fimages%2F1%2F10%2F09.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20201125042024%26path-prefix%3Drockyandbullwinkle&tbnid=10PNSceaftSiRM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Frockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FBullwinkle%2527s_Restaurant&docid=CWISapqy6nhqwM&w=750&h=499&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F2&kgs=110c448ccbd529a7&shem=abme%2Ctrie#vhid=10PNSceaftSiRM&vssid=mosaic&vwlns=WyIwQ0JvUWg2Y0dhaGdLRXdpNGladnc1TEdJQXhVQUFBQUFIUUFBQUFBUXZRRSJd&lns=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLFsiNWFjMWFlY2YtNjJkYy00ZDhlLWI4Y2MtYjdmOTc3NzMxMDRhIl1d)
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
Where was this?
Drewbeede@reddit
The location I went to was in Santa Clara, CA. It closed many years ago though. There's an old video promoting this location on YouTube.
Johnykbr@reddit
Showbiz pizzaaaa. Where a kid can be a kid!
BRINGERofMILK@reddit
Oh I loved that placed EXCEPT for the nightmare fuel of that animatronic band. That jerky movement and mouth movements still give me the creeps.
xavierguitars@reddit
I had showbiz when I was young and then it turned into a chuck e cheese
christopherDdouglas@reddit
Went to a pizza place that I loved called Pizza and Pipes.
akgt94@reddit
Quite a few birthday parties. Probably have a few skee-ball tickets stashed away somewhere. Didn't know about Chuck until much later in life. Thought it was a knock-off
zing27@reddit
Lexington, Kentucky
Combatical@reddit
Our Showbiz got taken over by Chuck E Cheese, now its a Workout Anytime gym lol.
Pissouthaass@reddit
That's the one
artificerone@reddit
The ones in our area were called Celebration Station
ZedGardner@reddit
They had showbiz pizza where I grew up, but whenever I came to visit my grandparents they had Chuck E. Cheese so I got to experience both of those horrors.
Alternative-Light514@reddit
My local Showbiz turned into a Chuck E Cheese, so I guess I had both? I feel like they kept the old animatronics for awhile, also. Did all Showbiz turn into Chuck E Cheese’s?
Bloomer328@reddit
Yes! We loved going to the Showbiz in Davenport, IA even though my little brother was terrified of the band. My grandma's name was Billie and my grandpa's name was Bob so I thought it was fun that Billy Bob was named after my grandparents.
ferminriii@reddit
There's a whole documentary about it on YouTube.
TPlain940@reddit
We had the Rock-a-Fire Explosion album and listened to it way more than necessary 😄
slithyknid@reddit
Did anyone else see the Showscan demo film “New Magic” at a Showbiz? That experience lived in my memory very much like a fever dream for decades
ailish@reddit
We had one each in my town so we visited both occasionally.
that_guy_who_builds@reddit
We had Major Magic's, but it was essentially the same creepy animals singing.
sadfacebbq@reddit
My CEC had this imposter in the band.
myplums1@reddit
I may still have a Showbiz token in a junk drawer somewhere….
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
See if Chuck will still honor it. I bet he won't. Stupid rat bastard
tedsgloriousmustache@reddit
Nope! We had a celebration station where I grew up. Massive, video games everywhere. And 36 holes of minigolf on a man made 'mountain'!!
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
We got one of those later in the 90s... had go-carts too!
FrebTheRat@reddit
We had a Showbiz that later became a Chuck E. The backroom with the animatronic band was too expensive so we could only dream about how awesome it was.
Bozo_dubbed_over@reddit (OP)
It was incredible
Tendaena@reddit
I had my 6th Birthday at Showbiz and I got a Billy Bob Doll. It's one of my favorite memories.
Phantom_Pharaoh77@reddit
Never since this guy but I wish I would have I missed out
Kennedygoose@reddit
To this day I think the singing bear is a lot less creepy than the guy in the rat suit.
SinsOfThePast03@reddit
6th bday here circa 1984 in Milwaukee, WI !
itfailsagain@reddit
They had better animatronics. Their merger with Chuck E. Cheese was a downgrade.
zenviking83@reddit
Used to go to Showbiz pizza all the time when I visited my grandparents as a kid. Always called it Billy Bob’s because the bear. Then one day when I we were visiting them I asked to go to Billy Bob’s and was depressed when I realized they had changed to Chuck E. Cheese. Thankfully another local pizza place by my grandparent’s house had got the old Showbiz animatronics and kept them alive for a bit longer.
Pineapple-Due@reddit
Showbiz gang checking in! At one point it changed to chuck e cheese but a few of the rides still had showbiz stuff on it
Khorre@reddit
Showbiz is the only business left. They bought Chuck E Cheese. B3cause the IP for ShowBiz mascots belonged to someone else, they changed it all to Chuck E Cheese. The Showbiz guy really screwed himself.
jockfist5000@reddit
Loved their Love in this Club cover https://youtu.be/b90Cf6ARscc?si=WLQ-MNyrL2_03yKd
Four-Triangles@reddit
Chimpy’s Pizza Safari
Jerry_F_Mandarin@reddit
both.
animesuxdix@reddit
Still haunts my dreams.
TheCatalyst5@reddit
Had my 5th birthday party there! I was terrified of that band!!
Stang1776@reddit
I was a show biz kid
Assortedpez@reddit
Nope, don’t even go to a Chuck E. Cheese until I was well into my thirties for a child’s birthday. Only thing we had near us was Discovery Zone
Relative_Desk_8718@reddit
The showbiz place close to me was actually called Billy Bob’s pizza place
usernames_suck_ok@reddit
I remember Showbizz Pizza and even had a bday party there, but I don't remember Billy Bob.
jasonmoyer@reddit
My dad's name is William, so when I was a kid he always had a Billy Buck in his wallet.
FosterStormie@reddit
Yep, we had Showbiz, and it was THE place to have your birthday party. I have so many tickets from skee-ball that I never got the chance to cash in. It didn’t change to a Chuck E Cheese until I was older and no longer interested.
Filth_Pig_@reddit
i remember we had a showbiz that turned into a chuck e cheese in southern indiana. i went to showiz a few times, but was older when it crashed and burned.
____cire4____@reddit
We had Razzmatazz in Jersey 🐭
majorjoe23@reddit
Me! I even remember going once to a Showbiz that hadn’t been rebranded yet, but had Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics.
Massive_Horror4521@reddit
Me! I went to the one off route 4 in NJ
Only_Jury_8448@reddit
One of my earliest memories was going to a ShowBiz Pizza; this would've been about 1987.
epidemicsaints@reddit
Yes in Dayton OH. My mom had a friend with a kid who loved this place, me and my brother begged not to go. We hated it.
One-Earth9294@reddit
Not really but I did go to one before they closed down. And the building it left behind was the ultimate nightmare fuel that predated FNAF by decades. I think that one stayed a bit longer because it was a location that wasn't bought out and converted to a Chuck E Cheese.
But me and Charles Entertainment have a long-standing friendship. That place was my graceland as a child. Before I had the cynical mind of an adult and the bleeps and bloops and flashing lights and chaotic atmosphere was actually magical. Feelings you know you can never really feel anymore because the world has been demystified and the veil pulled back.
ImitationCheesequake@reddit
We had both here before the merger, I liked both but I remember at every birthday I went to there was at least a few kids who were terrified by the animatronics and by the big Chuck E Cheese costumed person who would bring out the cake.
Magnifique21@reddit
We had a place called Marc’s Fun Times in Ohio. Same animatronic puppet things.